


maybe for the best

by onakissgodknows



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Banter, F/M, Hair-pulling, Hook-Up, Miscommunication, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, but the plot is there if you squint, rather it's porn with very little plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:34:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24796246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onakissgodknows/pseuds/onakissgodknows
Summary: It is, in retrospect, ill-advised.  Sasha doesn’t, in the moment, care.
Relationships: Sasha James/Tim Stoker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 69





	maybe for the best

**Author's Note:**

> Based on Tim's comments in MAG 162 about their ill-advised hookup and the awkward aftermath. 
> 
> Tim/Sasha is mlm/wlw solidarity, btw, because Sasha's bi because I said so.

The Magnus Institute holds galas for its donors about once a year, mostly stuffy old white men bearing the name Lukas, and Sasha attends because she wants a promotion. It’s a horribly boring and only mildly humiliating experience, where Elias looks at Sasha like he doesn’t know who she is and Sasha storms away wanting to _scream_ , but luckily Tim is here. Tim, who looks nearly as out of place as she feels amongst all the suits, even if he does clean up nice enough to almost look the part.

“Moral support,” Tim says when she questions his presence. “Can’t leave you to those vultures all on your own, can I?”

Sasha runs her hands through her hair; normally at work she has it pulled back in a ponytail or piled on top of her head in a messy bun. Tonight she has it in loose curtains down around her shoulders, and she’d struggled with a curling iron to try to make it hold a curl, to no avail. “I hate this place sometimes.” It’s not the work she hates, necessarily; the job is plenty engaging. It’s interesting and strange and a little creepy, and Sasha finds she has a certain affinity for it. No, the problem is the culture. It’s the fact that Gertrude is the only woman in a position of power in the entire place, and the fact that when Elias looks at her it’s like he’s wishing he had some way to boot her out. It’s the old men donating money to keep the institution of _our_ _esteemed founder_ running smoothly, and even if she does like the work, Sasha isn’t stupid. She knows the position she’s in.

“It’s _work_. Of course you hate it sometimes.” He snags a couple of glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and hands one to Sasha. “Doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of it.” Sasha gratefully takes the glass and sips. Tim smiles at her. “You look very nice, by the way.”

“Oh.” Sasha grins back, feeling her nose crinkle the way it does when she really can’t hide how pleased she is. “Thank you. So do you.”

They spend the rest of the evening drinking more champagne than they should, and Tim makes Sasha laugh by imagining the conversations of those around them, putting on ridiculous voices with posh accents. Sasha can’t stop giggling. Gertrude stops to say hello to Sasha, but throws Tim the most withering, disapproving look Sasha has ever seen, which only makes Sasha laugh harder when Gertrude is gone.

She thinks she would feel unbelievably lonely at this gala if Tim wasn’t by her side.

When the party is over, Sasha surprises herself in that she doesn’t want the evening to end.

Which is why, perhaps, she boldly asks Tim if he’d like to take this elsewhere. Sasha is pretty sure he’s shocked, but to his credit, he doesn’t show it, just eagerly says yes and asks her where.

It is, in retrospect, ill-advised.

Sasha doesn’t, in the moment, care.

It turns out, to Sasha’s relief, that her building is closer than Tim’s so that’s where they end up. Tim first kisses her under the window in the stairwell, the one with the warped glass she stops to peer out every morning, and Sasha giggles and grabs his hand and pulls him up the rest of the stairs and unlocks her flat quick as she can with fumbling fingers. She’s had enough champagne to loosen her up a little, not enough to impair her judgement. Not nearly enough. Tim’s hand is at her waist and he leans in to give her a kiss under her ear as she unlocks the door, which makes her giggle again and squirm away.

Tim follows her into the flat and glances around as she switches on the lamp nearest the door. “Nice place,” he says, and then his hand is in her hair, pulling her close to kiss him.

Tim backs her against the wall in the entryway. Sasha is tall – damn near six feet when she wears even the lowest heel she owns, tall enough that Elias has to tilt his face up to meet her eyes if she stands too close to him, which always gives her a smug little thrill – but Tim is taller and damn it, _damn it_ if it doesn’t do a lot for her. He’s so strong and sure of himself in the way he holds her, and he smells incredible. Sasha has often noticed that he tends to smell nice, but tonight he’s put on some new cologne or used a different shampoo and it mixes with his usual comforting Tim smell and Sasha wants to bottle it. She thinks she could get drunk on this. She grabs him by the hips, pulling him against her as her lips part and Tim moans in a soft, satisfied way.

“God, Sash,” Tim says softly when they pause for breath. He drags a hand down her side, down her thigh to toy with the hem of her dress. Sasha grabs his hand and he freezes for a moment, but Sasha pushes his hand under her skirt and Tim’s breath catches.

Sasha _really_ doesn’t do things like this. She’s being much bolder than she normally would be, but – it’s Tim. There’s something about Tim that feels so _safe_ , even as he buries his face against her neck to kiss and bite her there, even as he pushes her dress up around her hips – and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a good kisser. She should have known he would be. Everything else about Tim is so _nice_ , it figures this would be.

She opens her mouth a little to speak, but Tim immediately covers her mouth with his, and so instead Sasha bites at his lower lip. Tim laughs, probably in surprise. He sounds fond.

“I don’t want to push you,” Tim says, which is sweet, and far too late since his hand is already up her dress. They both know why they’re here.

“I’m the one who dragged you here,” Sasha says, a little indignant. “If anyone’s pushing, wasn’t it me?” Tim laughs heartily at this, and Sasha gasps as Tim’s hand drifts up to gently rub against her through her underwear. Sasha grinds down on his palm, searching for a little more friction, which Tim seems happy to give her, pressing the heel of his hand against her clit. It’s good, but it’s not _enough_ , and Sasha lets out a soft whimper. Tim kisses her throat, licks the hollow above her collarbone.

“In that case,” he says cheerfully, and slowly lowers himself, pressing kisses to her clothed breasts and stomach until he’s on his knees, grinning up at her. Tim grasps her by the ankles, first one, then the other, and eases her shoes off, throws them aside, then he slides his hands up her thighs again. He hooks his fingers into the waistband of her panties and drags them down until Sasha kicks them off. Tim surges up and pushes her legs apart a little, kisses her inner thighs.

“May I?” he asks innocently. Sasha responds by grabbing him by the hair and tugging him forward, which makes Tim laugh and smirk up at her before pushing her dress up over her hips again.

The first touch of his tongue makes her knees buckle. It’s an odd angle to get eaten out from, to be sure – Sasha is much more used to being on her back and she’s a little unsure she’ll manage to stay on her feet if he’s good at it.

And he _is_ good at it. He’s slow at first, laving over her pussy with long strokes, paying little attention to her clit until Sasha’s whimpering and squirming with need, then flicks the tip of his tongue over her clit. Sasha lets out a quiet “ _yes_ ” and presses a hand to her mouth in attempt to quiet herself.

Tim parts her folds with his tongue, licks into her gently, presses his thumb to her clit and moves it in slow circles. Sasha’s thighs shake and she lets out a moan and grips Tim’s hair harder, and surely that hurts him but he just groans softly against her pussy, which is even better. Tim pushes a finger inside her and quickly adds a second when he meets no resistance. Sasha exhales raggedly and tries to rock forward against him. Tim fucks her with his fingers and returns his mouth to her clit, licking and sucking with more ferocity and Sasha can’t keep quiet. Her legs are shaking and Tim wraps his free arm around her thighs to hold her steady. He pauses for a moment to glance up at her and his eyelashes are long and his lips are wet and pink and it’s _hot_ and Sasha plaintively says “please don’t stop.”

“Only if you promise you’ll come for me,” Tim says, an effort at his usual humor, but his voice is ragged with arousal. He keeps thrusting his fingers into her, pressing deeper and spreading them apart, rubbing his thumb over her clit. Sasha’s hips stutter forward and she whimpers again. Tim presses a gentle kiss against her and goes back to licking, sucking, teasing with his mouth as his fingers fuck into her.

She comes suddenly, with a head-to-toe shudder and she cries out Tim’s name before clapping a hand over her mouth and biting her own palm to stifle herself as she rides out the rest of her orgasm on Tim’s fingers. He doesn’t stop until she’s spent, still licking her softly as she comes down, and when he pulls his fingers away it’s slow and torturous, leaving Sasha trembling and ready to collapse.

He kisses her thigh, bites down and sucks just enough to sting, then soothes it with his tongue. “Beautiful,” he says, nuzzling against her skin.

Oh, he’s going to be the death of her. “Come up here,” she says, tugging his hair gently.

Tim gets to his feet and kisses her deeply. Sasha can taste herself on his lips and tongue. He grips her thigh and hoists it up around his hip, pressing her against the wall and she can feel he’s hard in his trousers as he gently rocks against her.

Tim is the one who breaks their kiss and Sasha leans forward, chasing his lips as her eyes flutter open, and Tim laughs softly. “Where do you want me?” he asks, stroking her face.

It is a good question. She has half a mind to tell Tim to fuck her against the wall, or to shove him to the ground so she can ride him right there in the entryway. She also has a nice sturdy wood table in the dining room that conjures some particularly interesting visuals in this context, but she shoves that thought away for another time. They don’t need to get fancy. For tonight, Sasha reluctantly untangles herself from Tim’s arms and beckons. “Bedroom. Quickly.”

“Bossy,” Tim says, looking pleased about it, and Sasha shakes her head with a roll of her eyes, and takes him by the hand.

Luckily, they’re only a few steps from the bedroom and as soon as they reach it they’re kissing again, Tim’s hands moving up and down Sasha’s arms, feather-light on her skin. He tugs gently at the neckline of her dress. “Can this come off?” he whispers, and Sasha turns without a second thought, pulling her long hair aside so he can find the zipper. He unzips her slowly, and leans in to kiss her bare back, which makes her shiver.

She unhooks her bra herself and drops it aside, and then is acutely aware of the fact that she’s very naked and Tim is very not. He looks _nice_ tonight – he cleans up so well, because of course he does – but it’s time for his clothes to go. Tim seems to have the same idea and shrugs his jacket off, his eyes never leaving Sasha. Sasha reaches for his pressed white shirt and untucks it. He unbuttons it and wiggles free as Sasha backs up until she’s sitting on the edge of her bed, tugging Tim along by the belt so he’s in front of her. Suddenly presented with an expanse of Tim’s warm skin inches from her face, she leans in to kiss his stomach, trailing her fingers through the smattering of dark hair that grows denser as it disappears beneath his waistband. She pauses, then mouths lightly at his cock through the fabric of his trousers and is pleased when Tim’s hips stutter forward and he makes a noise that he tries to disguise as a cough.

“Do you like that?” Sasha asks softly. Cheerfully. She palms over the bulge in his trousers, feeling him stiffen.

“Tease,” Tim accuses. “I was so nice to you.”

Sasha laughs and unbuckles his belt. “Oh, you thought I’d return the favor, then?” She quirks an eyebrow as she unbuttons and unzips him.

“Oh, no, baby, I wouldn’t dare expect anything.” His voice is tight and Sasha hears the hitch in his breath as she puts a hand inside his trousers and squeezes. “But you must admit I’m receiving some mixed signals.”

Tim calling her _baby_ makes Sasha’s heart flutter in ways she didn’t expect, but she’s intent on not showing it. Together they get his trousers and underwear down, and Tim stumbles a little as he kicks them aside, and Sasha lets out a peal of laughter. “Oh, shut up,” Tim says, but he’s grinning crookedly and Sasha grabs his hand and tugs him over to her.

His cock is hard and leaking when she takes it in her hand, and he moans, wanton and perhaps a little exaggerated, which makes Sasha laugh again. She strokes his dick, watches him thrust into her hand, and leans in to suck lightly at the head. Sasha does not usually like giving blow jobs, too many guys are so ungentlemanly about it, but the noise Tim makes and the way he almost whimpers her name makes it worth it. She reaches back to cup his balls and Tim whispers “ _oh my god_ ,” which strokes Sasha’s ego like nothing else, and she flicks her eyes up to meet Tim’s. His dick twitches in her mouth and she’s encouraged to take him a bit deeper, and Tim actually lets out a little cry and grabs wildly at the back of her head.

“Sash – Sash, I want – “

She pulls her mouth off his dick with a pop. “Yeah?” She tries to sound cool and together, but she knows she doesn’t, knows she’s not.

Tim leans down to kiss her, cupping her face in his big hands, their mouths open and tongues clashing together. It’s needy and messy and dirty, and Tim pushes her back onto the bed, getting on top of her.

“Come here,” he says with a bit of gravel in his voice, arranging her so her head is on the pillow, one of his legs pressed between hers. He puts a hand on her breast as he leans down to kiss her, biting her lower lip and flicking a thumbnail across her nipple. Sasha thrusts her hips up, trying to achieve some friction against Tim’s thigh as her tongue explores his mouth.

Sasha tries to memorize everything – the way Tim hisses when she digs her fingernails into his side, how his face gets flushed with arousal, how eagerly he sucks her nipples when he discovers how it makes her squirm. He seems dead set on mapping every inch of her body with his tongue, and Sasha cannot say she’s opposed to the idea when she realizes how dedicated he is to his craft. His fingers dance up her thigh, skirting close to where she _needs_ to be touched, and Sasha jerks her hips up again with a soft “ _oh_.”

“Good, sweetheart?” Tim whispers, pressing wet, open-mouthed kisses to her breasts. Sasha shudders against him. She doesn’t know what to do with her hands and settles for burying one in his hair and digging the nails of the other into his shoulder. He groans deep in his throat and presses his face into her chest. “Is that a yes?” His voice is muffled.

“Yes,” Sasha says breathlessly. “So good.” She wants this to last forever but at the same time she’s desperate for more and nothing is happening _enough_. 

Tim thrusts his hips forward, grinding against Sasha’s hip. His hard dick presses against her and if Sasha weren’t so pinned down she’d do something about it.

She wants to make him feel good. She wants to see what Tim sounds like when he comes.

But she can’t reach his dick and Tim isn’t touching her where she wants him to, so Sasha just snakes one hand down between them to rub against her clit. Tim only lets her do it for a moment before he moves her hand with a laugh, his fingers closing around her wrist.

“Baby, you should have said something,” he says with mock pity, and then he rubs two fingers through her slick folds and dips them inside her. Sasha arches her back with a moan and Tim takes his hand away and Sasha’s moan turns into a frustrated groan.

“You bastard,” she says, and Tim responds by kissing her, pushing his tongue in to stop her verbally abusing him any further. Sasha surges upward, meeting him just as aggressively. She swats at his thigh, sick of his teasing.

“Turn over,” she says. “Get on your back.”

Tim grins broadly. “Yes, ma’am.” He flops over with unnecessary exertion, stretching languidly across her bed, the picture of leisure if it weren’t for his cock standing stiff at attention. “Take me, Sasha.”

“You really think you’re funny!” Sasha yanks open the drawer of her nightstand and digs around for a condom, then tosses one onto Tim’s chest. He rips it open with his teeth and rolls it onto his dick. Sasha straddles his hips and grabs his shaft, lining it up with her entrance. Tim watches her intently, pupils blown and chest heaving with shallow breaths. His mouth is a little open, his lips wet and shiny, and that makes Sasha want to kiss him again, so she does, both of them moaning against each other’s mouths as Sasha finally lowers herself onto his cock.

“Ah, fuck, Sasha,” Tim mutters, and flicks his tongue over her lips. Sasha, breathless, sits up and steadies herself with a hand on his chest and starts riding him, steadily trying to find the rhythm.

It’s – good. Tim’s making these soft noises of pleasure with each thrust, and he’s watching her like she’s the best thing he’s ever seen, and he feels _good_ inside her.

“Sasha - God,” Tim says with a groan, and arches his back. “Can I - ?” He lifts a hand, reaching for her.

The fact that he’s _asking_ is – adorable. Sweet. Sexy. “Please,” Sasha says breathily. “Touch me.”

Tim clearly does not need to be told twice. He grabs her by the hips, surging upward until he can wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against him. He has leverage of his own now, he can thrust up into her instead of waiting for her to set the pace and this angle is even _better_ , and Sasha tilts her head back with a moan. Tim runs a hand through her hair, pushing it away from her neck, and kisses her shoulder. “So pretty,” he says appreciatively, and nips gently.

“Is _pretty_ the best compliment you can give?” Sasha asks, with all the venom she can muster while riding his cock.

Tim laughs. “No. I could also say sexy. Gorgeous. Stunning. Filthy.” He smooths his hands down her front, cupping her breast with one of them, moving the other lower to thumb at her clit and Sasha moans. “That _is_ pretty, though.”

Sasha grabs a handful of Tim’s hair and pulls, tilting his head back, and Tim lets out a little yelp. Talk about _pretty_. The color slashed across his cheeks, the way his eyes are dark and intense, the little breathless half-smile, half-snarl on his face, the gasp he makes when she scrapes her teeth down his jawline, making him wince. “I also think you’re mean,” Tim announces.

“You like _that_ ,” Sasha says.

Tim laughs. “Subtlety has never been my strong suit.” He catches her lips with his and they kiss again. Sasha shifts her body forward, gripping Tim’s sides with her knees as she rides him. He grabs her by the thighs and pulls them around his waist, fucking harder into her and Sasha gasps, pressing her face to his shoulder.

“Tell me how you want it,” Tim says, tangling his hand in her hair. “I wanna make you come again.”

“Fuck,” Sasha moans. “Harder, okay? Little more. Please.”

He does as she says, tugging her closer, if that’s possible, and picks up speed. Blessedly, he reaches down with his free hand and finds her clit again, starting to rub her in time with his thrusts, and Sasha closes her eyes. _Fuck_.

“You feel so fucking good,” Tim says in her ear, his voice a low growl, and she’s so close to the edge that almost sends her over. “God, Sash. Fucking incredible.”

All she can feel is Tim. She’s wrapped around his body in more ways than one, every inch of her skin pressed to his, and his cock is hitting that sweet spot inside her and his fingers are gentle but insistent and rhythmic on her clit and it’s a perfect storm. “Tim,” Sasha whines, feeling herself clench around him, and Tim goes a little harder, a little faster at exactly the right moment and Sasha comes with a cry, her body going slack. Tim moans against her with a shudder, coming inside her as Sasha slumps against him with a sigh, and he keeps rubbing her oversensitive clit until Sasha reaches down and pushes his hand away with a whimper.

Tim trails kisses down her neck. “You okay?”

“Yes.” Her arms are draped around his shoulders, her legs around his waist, and her hair is _everywhere_. She can feel it damp with sweat at her neck and forehead, and self-consciously she gathers it in her hand like a ponytail, trying to get it under control. Tim smiles and brushes her hair away from her face before kissing her – slow and easy, but with a lot of tongue. A lot of heat that makes Sasha vaguely think about whether they might go for round two. She’s tired but – she probably could, she thinks, and then wildly wonders who the hell she _is,_ because Sasha James doesn’t fuck her coworkers and then wonder just how badly she can tire them out. How ruined she could make him by the end of the night.

“Sasha,” Tim says playfully, stroking her hair.

“Tim,” she says back, imitating his tone. With a sigh, she climbs off his lap and collapses onto the bed.

Tim smiles down at her and rubs her thigh absentmindedly. “Was it good?” he asks, a little anxiously.

Sasha grins. “D’you always spend time critiquing your own performance after sex?”

“No,” Tim says, affronted. “It’s just – it’s _you_ , Sash.” When she looks at him quizzically, he continues hastily, “It would be pretty awkward to see you at work if we not only fucked, but if I did a bad job of it. Humiliating.”

“Oh, I see,” Sasha says, laughing. “Rest assured, then, I’m more than satisfied.” She props herself up on her elbows to kiss him again, then takes him by the hand. His hands are warm and strong and she squeezes gently. “I am going to go clean up,” she says, suddenly hesitant. “You…er, will you stay?”

Tim laughs gently and leans down to kiss her on the forehead. “Of course. Of course I’ll stay.”

Sasha wakes the next morning before Tim does, but there’s something comforting in the fact that he’s there at all. She gets up and starts making coffee, then wanders back to the bedroom to pick up her phone – and lets out a gasp when she reads the text on the lock screen.

 _I should be there by nine. Can’t wait to see you x Mum_.

She’d _completely_ forgotten her mother was coming into London for the day, and she glances at the clock – it’s already half past eight. “Tim,” she says aloud, urgently, and he stirs a little. He looks up at her, blinking blearily, and smiles.

“Hey,” he says softly. He furrows his brow when he sees her worried expression. “You all right?”

“I need you to go – I’m sorry, Tim.” Sasha’s mind races. She’s starting to regret the entire evening – what had she been thinking?

“I – “ He’s bewildered, and he gets to his feet. Sasha averts her eyes from his bare torso. “Okay. That’s fine. I can leave, but – Sash, is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes, it’s fine,” she says in a rush. “I forgot my mum is coming over.”

Comprehension dawns on Tim’s face. “ _Oh_.” He goes to find his clothes from the night before and begins getting dressed. “Can’t have your mum knowing about your extracurriculars, eh?”

He’s kidding, but Sasha isn’t really in the mood for it. Anxiety rises in her chest all of a sudden as she thinks about the prospect of seeing Tim at work on Monday morning. “Look, it’s just – my mum and I argue a bit about my work, about whether I’m too focused on it… She really wants me to find somebody and settle down, and if she sees you, well, she’ll never let it go, you know?”

“Sure.” Tim nods understandingly, though there’s something distant in it that makes Sasha want to explain herself further.

“It’s not that I never want to settle down,” she says in a rush. “I’d just hate to put you in a position where – I don’t want you to think I expect anything of you! Because I know that’s not who _you_ are, so don’t worry about – “

Tim turns and gives her a funny look. Insulted, almost. “You know that, do you?”

“Well…” She pauses, frowning. What does he mean? “People do tend to _talk_.” At work, and outside of it, which is why she’s starting to panic. She works so hard to be taken seriously at the Institute, and half that work goes to waste anyway because Elias still doesn’t know her name. She doesn’t _like_ that this matters so much to her, but this is her job, this is her future, and it does matter. The last thing she needs is for her name to be known only in connection with a lot of office gossip. She’s smart and talented and she’s very good at her job, but she’s also a woman and she isn’t white and she isn’t straight, and she already feels like she’s climbed mountains to even get this far, and she’s _barely_ above entry level.

“They do,” Tim says shortly. “I didn’t think you listened.”

“I _have_ to listen,” Sasha says indignantly. “I can’t have rumors going around that I’m the office slut, can I?”

Tim scoffs a little. “Well, don’t worry, Sasha, I don’t intend on spreading news of our hookup to the rest of the research department.”

So that _is_ what it was to him. “Okay. Good. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” he says. “It’s common decency.”

Tim is always remarkably decent.

“Anyway,” Tim says. “I’ll go. I don’t want to give your mum the wrong impression. For the record, though, Sasha, you’re a grown woman and if you want to _hook up_ with people you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.”

Sasha smiles weakly. “I usually try to keep my work life and personal life separate.”

“Understood.” Tim nods.

She’s not sure he does. “Tim, I don’t – “

“It’s okay, Sasha,” he says gently. Fully dressed, he walks to her and gives her a kiss on the side of her forehead. “I hope you and your mum have a nice visit.”

“Thanks,” she says numbly.

“See you Monday.”

After that, he’s gone, and Sasha feels like she’s just gotten off an emotional roller-coaster. She doesn’t know how this went downhill so quickly, but she thinks she’s in for a chilly response when she sees Tim at work, and it probably isn’t undeserved. If this were a rom-com Sasha would run after him, resolve the misunderstanding, but this isn’t a movie and Sasha’s reasons for not racing after him are as absurdly mundane as the fact that her mum’s coming to visit and Sasha needs to clean her flat.

It’ll be fine. They’ll see each other Monday and it’ll be a little awkward but it’ll be _fine_. If Sasha blew this – if she blew her chances – well, there’s a reason Sasha doesn’t date her coworkers anyway. If Sasha blew this, it’s okay. It may be for the best, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> me @ myself after writing this: you fucked up a perfectly good archival assistant is what you did. look at her. she's got anxiety.
> 
> this was going to be a quick palate cleanser fic before I start the next long one I want to do but then, as usual, feelings happened and this got longer than expected.


End file.
